Arsenal’s injury problems show little sign of easing with Ben White having undergone a minor surgical procedure to ease an issue with his knee joint, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The 27-year-old has been playing through the pain barrier in recent weeks and was only able to complete 19 minutes of the defeat to Newcastle, though he did manage the full 90 in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
No timescale has been set by Arsenal for White’s future availability but even a smaller surgical intervention will require a spell on the sidelines. Mikel Arteta will hope that a potentially imminent return for left back Riccardo Calafiori ensures his options are not unduly stretched in full back positions that have been better stocked on paper than on the pitch. Takehiro Tomiyasu has also missed the entirety of the season with multiple knee injuries while Jurrien Timber has had the sort of minor setbacks that are common in a player working his way back from a major ACL injury.
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Arsenal will also spend the international break working to bring Declan Rice (toe) and Bukayo Saka (muscle) back to full fitness, both having been withdrawn from England duty. Norway’s willingness to let Martin Odegaard (ankle) complete his rehabilitation at London Colney was altogether more welcome, particularly with the club captain having offered an impressive reminder of his qualities while playing the full 90 minutes away to Chelsea.
That match ended with Arteta “praying” that his side’s injury issues would ease up after the international break, when the fixture list looks altogether more favorable for a side who have already played away from home to five of last season’s top seven. Getting the trio mentioned above back in the groove would be vital but White’s importance is not to be underestimated, particularly for the interplay he offers down the right with Odegaard and Saka.
White has struggled to find his best form so far this season but in what has been an Arsenal campaign rocked by injury his willingness to take the field whenever he can has earned him yet more respect across the club. Most notably the right back entered the fray for the second half of the 2-2 draw with Manchester City when visibly struggling with the knee issue that has led to surgery.
Arsenal will hope they have timed this well, not least because White at full tilt would only aid their pursuit of the sort of extended winning run that will be needed to close the gap on Liverpool. They have not got that player so far this season, particularly in possession where the runs overlapping beyond Saka have been altogether more infrequent.
White’s slow start to 2024-25
All stats from Premier League, per 90 minutes
| 2023-24 | 2024-25 | |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive passes | 7.84 | 5.32 |
| Progressive carries | 4.87 | 2.59 |
| Expected assists | 0.11 | 0.06 |
| Open play crosses | 1.71 | 0.91 |
| Final third touches | 20.4 | 12.32 |
| Byline touches* | 2.28 | 0.65 |
*touches in final eight percent of field
Anything like last season’s version of White makes Arsenal a more dangerous offensive force. The gamble will be that in the meantime they can pick up the results they need against the likes of Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Manchester United, their first three league opponents after the international break. If Timber fills in at right back as impressively as he did against Paris Saint-Germain — a match after which the Dutch international won rave reviews from Saka — and the other side is covered by the likes of Calafiori and Oleksandr Zinchenko then there should be enough in the tank to carry Arsenal through to White’s return.
If that is the case and White comes back at last season’s level, then this team might still have something to say when it comes to the title race.
